
LESSONS ON THE SANCTUARY.
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probation by persistently refusing to listen to the voice of
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the Spirit. When the Spirit is finally rejected, there is no
more that God can do for that soul. "I have not forsaken
you, saith the Lord, but ye have forsaken Me." When the
last soul has done this, God announces the fact to the
heavenly host by saying, "It is done." "He that is unjust, let
him be unjust still." See "Great Controversy," p. 613.
2.
The day Noah entered into the ark the door was shut.
Noah was safe. The wicked world was shut out; but still
they knew not until the flood came, seven days later. There
was a short period of time after the decree went forth before
the total destruction of the wicked. "So shall also the com-
ing of the Son of man be."
3.
To "stand up" means to reign. Dan 11:2, 20. The king-
doms of this world are given to Christ at the close of His
work in the sanctuary, and He is crowned "King of kings,
and Lord of lords."
4.
The pouring ont of the wrath of God was, John says,
a great and marvelous thing. Isaiah speaks of it in the same
way (Isa. 28:21), "That He may do His work, His strange
work; and bring to pass His act, His strange act." To our
loving Father the act of punishment is a strange act. Never-
theless, the character of God is exalted by it in the sight of
the heavenly universe, as is proved by the words of the angels
in Rev. 16:5-7. God's purpose in pouring out judgments upon
the. earth may be, first, to save all that can be saved, or to
convince those who have never fallen, and those who will
finally be destroyed, that the Lord is God, and that His ways
are just. When the seven last plagues are poured out, God
knows that no more will turn to Him, yet He does not visit
His judgments upon men until the whole universe is con-
vinced that He is God, and that His ways are just. When
"loving-kindness" and "favor" do not draw men to Him, He
is forced to lift up His hand in judgments as a last remedy,
and the fact that the wicked do not then repent and give Him
glory (Rev. 16:9-11) is positive evidence that God can do no
more for them. When this fact is seen by all, God's voice
is again heard, not only in heaven, but on this earth, saying,
"It is done." Rev. 16:17-21; Heb. 12:26; "Great Controversy,"
pp. 636, 637. Then is given to great Babylon the "cup of the
wine of the fierceness of His wrath," in the seventh plague,
which is universal. The others are not. "Great Controversy,"
p. 628. This manifestation of God's unmingled wrath against
sin is but another manifestation of His unmingled love for
those whom sin is seeking to destroy.
5.
The sin of Samaria was .Baal, or sun-worship (1 Kings
16:31, 32), of which Sunday is still a sign. The god of Dan